Episodes
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The dogs were good in cinema, here are Claire's top 10.
We've talked about the best in Best Pictures, the champions of Box Office Champions, but have missed a key factor: the best in cinematic dogs. Claire is here to correct that, bringing us the goodest boys (and one girl) from the happy dog stories, the sad dog stories, the adventures and the bonds with their humans. Which dogs reign supreme? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's 2018, and Marvel is lurching towards the climax of ten years of interconnected movies, while the Academy manages to trip over itself. The Oscar went to Green Book, now considered one of the century's biggest blown calls, but is it a bad movie, or just a bad pick for Best Picture? Claire, Erin, and Dan discuss, before moving on to the Marvel movies that ruled the box office. Black Panther brought audiences to the kingdom of Wakanda, while Infinity War finally bring Thanos to the forefront. But which works better? Who's got the hotter lead? Listen in and see if you agree.
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's 2017, and it's time for space wizards and award-winning amphibian erotica! Guillermo Del Toro made a Creature From the Black Lagoon slashfic so beautifully realized it ends up winning Best Picture. Marginalized people in the 60s stand up to the US patriarchy to save a possible fish god, a fish god one mute outsider finds extra compelling. Then it's box office time, which means it's time for the most relaxing thing you can do on the internet... talk about The Last Jedi. Kevin Weir returns to help dissect what works about Rian Johnson's attempt to expand the idea of Star Wars, along with some issues, Erin finally gets her casino planet, Dan reassesses Rise of Skywalker, Claire loves a Porg, and Dan and Kevin share some probably entirely rational rank ordering of Star Wars. Which sci-fi fantasy epic was best? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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In 2016, the Oscar race seemed to be hurtling towards "White people get their dream show biz careers but are still sad about it," until a mid-acceptance speech twist handed the top prize to Moonlight, a quiet examination of three key moments in the life of an impoverished gay youth in the ghetto. Claire, Erin, and Dan break it down, and how one of our hosts completely missed the point until rewatching. Then in a complete tone shift, the box office title is split between two Disney properties, as the Rebellion and the Avengers each find themselves at war. Rogue One is Disney-owned Lucasfilm's first attempt at a non-saga Star War, while Captain America: Civil War splits up the Avengers team they'd just introduced a year ago. Which is best, but which is the favourite? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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Here in the heart of Peak MCU Times, we pause our trek through the 2010s to look at the actual Marvel Comics event books that at minimum leant their titles to major Marvel Studios movies. Munsi Parker-Munroe joins Dan to dig into the comic version of Civil War, Age of Ultron, Secret Invasion, and more to see why Kevin Feige borrowed the titles and left most of the actual stories behind. It turns out that massive event miniseries relying on dozens of tie-in issues don't fit easily into one movie. Join for the journey!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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2015 is all about nostalgia, be it for classic space operas or this old-timey thing called "investigative journalism." The Oscar went to Spotlight, an unassuming yet star-studded drama about the Boston Globe's efforts to expose child abuse within the Catholic Church, perhaps the most Boston movie the gang has covered yet. But audiences had little time for hard hitting historical hitpieces, not when STAR WARS WAS BACK, BABY! The Force had Awoken and audiences were there in droves, and Erin, Claire, and Dan are here to unpack Disney's attempt at a new beginning, while asking if the Best Picture is good, great, boring, or some blend thereof? Who picks what side? Listen and learn.
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's 2014, and the gang hits another good news/bad news situation. First up, the Michael Keaton Renaissance began with Birdman, in which a former superhero actor fought a career slump through a big artistic project by playing a former superhero actor fighting a career slump through a big artistic project, all in seemingly one shot. Claire, Erin, and Dan's theatre kid energy is unleashed, as is returning guest Munsi Parker-Munroe's... before the joy of Birdman's rise and fall and maybe rise again crashes against the rocks of Transformers: The Age of Extinction, in which we learn that a franchise CAN get worse if you replace Shia LeBeouf as the lead. Come for the appreciation of Birdman's artistry, stay for the ladies losing their grip on reality at the mere description of how The Last Knight starts, plus Dan has some things to say about American Sniper. Listen in!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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As the 98th Oscars recede into the background, Erin, Claire, and Dan run down the nominated films and look ahead to our 2025 topic. Dan's seen them all, Erin's seen some, Claire saw none and tries to figure out their plots based on vibes, and returning guest Olav Rokne of the Hugo Book Club has controversial hot takes that have Dan asking how many nominees he actually paid attention to. From how four films ended up with nothing to how Sinners became the most nominated film in history, from Brad Pitt racing cars to Leo DiCaprio chasing cars, join us as we slice through the ten so-called best movies of 2025.
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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While Erin and Claire are away, Dan is left unsupervised, and thus takes us on a journey through the remaining years of the 2010s, looking at popcorn movies (often if not only big hits) that perhaps deserved a Best Picture nomination... or at least deserved one more than some of the actual nominees. Dan argues that perhaps cinematic thrill rides and well-made spy thrillers* are as worthy of Oscar attention as mediocre biopics in which someone does a really good job of playing Stephen Hawking or Freddy Mercury, or that experimental gimmicks do not necessarily a Best Picture make... leading inevitably to Dan's Unhinged Rant about a certain 2014 nominee. Agree? Disagree? Listen in to find out!
(*Dan's fanatical devotion to Mission: Impossible does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Erin or Claire)
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's 2013, and it's all about oppressive systems! And Disney. Award season cleared a path for the historical tragi-horror 12 Years a Slave, recounting the true story of a free man forced into a dozen years of brutal servitude, so clear a winner that the Globes had some record-high category fraud to avoid competing with yet, and yet it fell short in many categories? Audiences were split: in North America, audiences came out in droves for Katniss Everdeen's return to the arena in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, while worldwide audiences were lured by the question, do you wanna build a snowman? Book devourer Gina Stewart returns to tell Claire, Erin, and Dan how 12 Years had to soften the trues tales of southern slavery, and join Erin in spiraling into all things Hunger Games, while Claire has a lot of emotions about Frozen. Which film reigns supreme? Who sides where? Find out here!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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Ben Affleck escapes Hollywood purgatory while the Marvel Age begins as we reach 2012! Affleck directs a tense yet also funny thriller on the Iran Hostage Crisis and makes it an awards darling by skipping over the international cooperation and diplomacy parts to focus on six people being saved by The Power of The Movies, just what the Academy loves. Audiences, however, could not resist the pull of Marvel Studios rolling their previous movies into one mega-hit, the Fast Five of superhero movies, The Avengers. Claire, Erin, and Dan dig into both to see if they are, in fact, actually that good. Dig in with us!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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While Claire and Erin are away, Dan digs into the idea of Oscar snubs, why the term still matters, and which big or acclaimed films of 2025 are conspicuously absent from the 2026 Oscars. Wicked: For Good and Avatar: Fire and Ash are follow-ups to past Best Picture nominees; why couldn't they make the shortlist? And which two films does Dan think the internet is right to feel should have been more loved by the Academy? Find out here!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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We reach the second silent movie to win Best Picture, and it only took 83 years. French-made silent era throwback The Artist claims Best Picture, and briefly launches Jean Dujardin in America, through nostalgia, hijinks, and one adorable dog. Erin, Claire, and Dan find themselves charmed, partially from having experienced this era at the beginning of this journey. But audiences were flocking to Brazil, as the Fast and Furious films evolved into their best self with Fast Five, in which Dom and Brian form a supergroup of car-based criminals to pull off a heist while avoiding the pursuit of Dwayne Johnson's Agent Hobbs. Dan and Claire are excited to talk Fast Saga, Erin is experiencing it for the first time: how does it treat her? Does the Artist top the Fast Gang? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's a new decade, and intentionally or not, everything is cute. The King's Speech pulled in as many Oscar-bait elements as it could to take the trophy, but the earnest friendship of King George VI (aka Bertie) and speech therapist Lionel Logue is cute and charming enough that Claire and Erin get swept up anyway, although Dan has some notes on their loosey-goosey approach to history. But the audience came out in droves for one "last" adventure with Woody, Buzz, and the gang in Toy Story 3, a movie where the hosts struggle to find nits to pick, beyond stern warnings NOT to unpack how this world works. Who was best? Or cutest? find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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As the year comes to a close, it's time to look back at a year of cinema, and look forward to what our 2025 episode may look like. Erin, Claire, and Dan try to figure out what might be crowned Best Picture. Erin compares her heart favourite to what she thinks might win, Claire tries to remember if she saw a movie not for this podcast (She did! Several! Go Claire!), and Dan shows how fun he is at parties by presenting multiple ranked lists. What's leading the Oscar race so far? What Wicked: For Good hot takes do we have? Why is Dan actively rooting for an Avatar sequel? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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As we take our last between-decade break, Munsi Parker-Munroe returns to challenge Dan to a game. Munsi looks back at franchises from their youths, and asks Dan to guess which they genuinely liked, which they pretended to like because they were popular and boy-coded (and Munsi was at the time also boy-coded and hoping to be popular), and which they would have liked if only they'd felt safe indulging in them. Dan weighs in as someone who knew he wasn't supposed to like certain girl-coded shows, but figured what the patriarchy didn't know wouldn't hurt it. What holds up when you stop letting gender norms tell you what to like? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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Awards season 2009 came down to a telenovela-worthy duel between Kathryn Bigelow with her war drama The Hurt Locker, and her ex-husband James Cameron, delivering his second consecutive Highest Grossing Movie Ever with Avatar. Kevin Weir re-joins Erin, Claire, and Dan to break it all down. Claire is not thrilled, Dan explains how a later release makes Hurt Locker seem much better, Erin posits you can only like movies about one war. But then it's off to Pandora, to dig into the groundbreaking visuals and threadbare narrative of Avatar, the global phenomenon everybody forgets is one of history's most successful movies. Which do our hosts prefer? Find out!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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After the directors of Goodfellas and Fargo won Oscars for their bleakest movies to that point, Danny Boyle won over the Academy with something basically uplifting: the story of a poor Indian youth chasing his fairytale ending via a western game show in Slumdog Millionaire. First time viewers Erin and Claire ponder Jamal's journey, while on his third viewing Dan finds some grace for Jamal's dirtbag brother. But the people's champion became a snub that changed everything, as Christopher Nolan's Batman saga reached its apex in The Dark Knight. A billion dollars later, it changed the very face of the Oscars going forward, and we have some takes. Lock in your final answer: listening in.
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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In the wake of Martin Scorsese getting nominated for his bleakest movie (pre-Silence), the Coen Brothers deliver their bleakest effort (pre-A Serious Man) with No Country For Old Men, pitting an opportunistic hunter Josh Brolin and a pragmatic sheriff Tommy Lee Jones against human Terminator Javier Bardem. Audiences, however, are torn between two threequels that fail to live up to the originals, as Jack Sparrow and Spider-Man face off. Is At World's End a better Pirates movie than it gets credit for? Which Spider-Man villain should have been cut our? Recovered's Keith Kollee returns to help Erin, Claire, and Dan break it down. Join in, lest Anton Chigurh hunt you down for refusing.
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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It's 2006, and get ready for the most thrilling, action packed, high quality bummers of a movie. The Oscar finally found its way to Martin Scorsese, with his tense remake of Hong Kong flick Infernal Affairs, The Departed. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon go head to head in the Battle of the Snitches, and nobody walks away clean. Speaking of nobody being clean, audiences flocked back to Tortuga for the long awaited return of Jack Sparrow and the gang, as the Pirates of the Caribbean seek the Dead Man's Chest. Fish Monster Pirates and colonizing capitalists pursue our heroes while they all manage to scheme against each other. Claire, Erin, and Dan dissect both, while getting flummoxed by which actor got an Oscar nomination. Join in!
Find all of our episodes and the rest of Writing Therapy Productions' various entertainments at www.writingtherapyproductions.com
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